THE FAIRFAX TOWN COUNCIL got a clear message from the success of the referendum petition aimed at scrapping the council-approved housing plan.

That more than 1,000 residents signed the petition is a reflection of a political disconnect between the council's approval and local voters' support for the zoning measures. It may be a matter of communication or voter resistance to state-mandated housing quotas, but many Fairfax residents question the council's decision.

Those questions should be answered. After all, the petition needed only 524 signatures.

Town staff has ruled the petition was invalid due to a technical mistake where proponents of the referendum failed to include a written declaration that people obtaining signatures were at least 18 years old. The state requirement for that declaration went into effect in January and authors of the referendum say they were never advised about the rule.

Town Hall should never have let a flawed petition hit the streets.

The referendum, however, set the stage for the Town Council's 3-2 vote Wednesday night to rescind its zoning changes.

Former town mayor Frank Egger, one of the authors of the petition, says Town Hall didn't want the issue to go to a townwide vote. He prefers to characterize the referendum as a local revolt against state and regional housing quotas, which has stirred controversy in other Marin cities.

He may be right. The Association of Bay Area Governments' handling of its housing quotas and Plan Bay Area, the much-debated regional plan that links meeting housing quotas to state funds, raise a lot of questions about dictated numbers and public process.

But without quotas or goals of some kind and a requirement that local jurisdictions make affordable housing a public priority, it is likely that politicians would sidestep the politically charged task of building housing so that there's room in town for people of all walks of life.

Market-driven development is likely going to focus on construction of more high-priced housing, far out of reach of the salaries of many local job holders.

Fairfax should plan for building its fair share of affordable housing, but that plan should reflect community support for its specific objectives.

The signatures of more than 1,000 Fairfax voters raise the question of whether the town's plan meets that standard. The council wisely decided to take time and reach out to local residents and get them more involved in this important decision-making process.

Support for the petition is a sign that the town's process, despite repeated invitations for citizens to get involved, moved forward to approval and zoning changes without clear assurance that it had the public's backing.